The best-tasting vegan butter! It's plant-based, super buttery, smooth, rich & creamy & can be made in minutes. Use it for all of your spreading, baking, and frying needs. This is a real reader favourite with hundreds of five-star reviews. No fancy ingredients are required and it's palm oil-free!
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FEATURED COMMENT
"I'm impressed! When I read all the comments & high ratings about it tasting as good as real butter, I was hopeful, but still skeptical…. However I proved it to myself today. It came out perfectly first go! Follow the well-detailed directions and you can't go wrong!"
- Clare ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
If there is just one new vegan recipe you are going to try this month, let it be this vegan butter. It is life-changing and absolutely tried and true. It has been one of my most popular recipes since 2015 and it comes with hundreds of five star reviews.
Make it in your blender in minutes and then use it just like regular butter for all of your spreading and baking needs. It's unbelievably smooth, rich, and creamy, and spreads and melts perfectly. You can even use it to make vegan brown butter!
A slice of no knead sourdough bread, toast, or light whole wheat bread just isn't the same without a thick layer of butter and when you make your own you can avoid the palm oil, emulsifiers etc that are in most store bought vegan butters.
Mel x
Ingredient Notes
So that you get the very best results when making this vegan butter recipe, here are some important notes on the main ingredients:
- Almond flour - This is crucial for the best buttery flavour and emulsification. Almond flour is made from blanched skinless almonds and is super fine, powdery, soft and pale creamy yellow in colour. It has a mild, buttery flavour. Almond meal on the other hand is made with raw almonds, often with skins still on. It is coarser and grainier than almond flour, slightly stronger in flavour and darker in colour with small brown flecks throughout if the skins were still intact. For best results you need to use almond flour for this recipe. Almond flour is found in almost all grocery stores and it will be clearly labelled on the bag that it is made from blanched almonds. I buy mine in bulk from Costco but Bob's Red Mill is a popular brand of almond flour carried in most stores in North America. In the UK you can usually find almond flour at Holland and Barrett or you can order it from Amazon.
- Refined coconut oil - Note that it must be refined (i.e flavourless and odourless) and cannot be MCT oil or liquid coconut oil. This is a crucial ingredient and without it the butter won't set.
- Dairy-free milk - For creaminess and emulsification. It should be a neutral tasting milk and it must be unsweetened and unflavored so be careful to check the ingredients. Vanilla and sugar sneak into a lot of plant milks and they really aren't good additions to savory recipes. My preferences are oat milk, soy milk, or cashew milk. I don't recommend using almond milk because it has quite a strong flavor which you can detect in the finished butter.
- Nutritional yeast - Just a touch for a buttery umami flavour.
- Apple cider vinegar - The butter needs some acid to balance the flavors and apple cider vinegar is milder than most other culinary acids which is why it's used here.
- Oil - Any neutral oil such as mild olive oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or sunflower oil. This is what makes the butter spreadable.
- Turmeric - Used for colour. It gives the butter a yellow hue. This is the only ingredient you can safely omit.
You will also need a high-powered blender.
If you have any questions check the FAQs for the most common ones, and if it's not covered there feel free to leave a comment under the recipe. I'll get back to you a.s.a.p.
Serving Suggestions
Slather this vegan butter on bread, scones, and biscuits, and pancakes and waffles. You can also add it to all of your favorite buttery recipes like vegan mashed potatoes, vegan cream cheese frosting, and lemon curd, and use it in your vegan baking. It's great in cakes and pastry dough etc. You can even use it to make brown butter!
Recipe FAQS
If you use unrefined or virgin coconut oil, your butter will taste and smell of coconut not butter. Refined coconut oil has no coconut flavor or smell which is why it is essential for this recipe.
I have a few readers who use ground up cashew nuts, sunflower seeds or pine nuts instead of almonds. Almonds give a more buttery flavour but the results are still ok when using these substitutes.
The nutritional yeast helps with the buttery flavour and the butter is at it's best when it is included so I highly recommend using it. However if you omit it the recipe will still technically work, it just won't taste quite as good.
No. Baking yeast and brewer's yeast is completely different to nutritional yeast and will not work in this recipe.
There is no substitute for coconut oil in this recipe. Nothing else will work.
Yes it bakes perfectly. Use it in cakes, pies and frosting etc as you would regular butter.
Vegan butter and margarine are similar but not the same. Margarine has a really distinctive flavour and a really soft texture that is not like traditional dairy butter. It is also not always vegan. It often contains milk derivatives amongst other things, even the ones that are sometimes labelled as plant-based" so be careful. Look out for ingredients like whey, lactose and casein. Also be wary of lecithin and vitamin D3 which can sometimes be derived from animals. My vegan butter recipe is more like dairy butter in flavour and texture than store bought margarines.
No. The recipe will not set when made with liquid coconut oil.
Recipe
Vegan Butter
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 mls) refined coconut oil , it must be refined NOT unrefined
- ½ cup (50 grams or 8 tablespoons) almond flour
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (150 mls) dairy-free milk , must be unsweetened & unflavored. See the post above for my fave milks to use.
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 pinch ground turmeric , optional but helps make colour a little more yellow
- ¼ cup (60 ml ml) neutral liquid oil , such as light olive, canola, vegetable, or sunflower oil.
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
Please see the recipe notes before proceeding if you intend on using this butter for frying/sautéing.
- Gently melt the coconut oil. I put it in the microwave on defrost for about 20 seconds but you can also stand the jar in some hot water. Measure it when it's liquid and not solid, then set aside for a few minutes to cool to room temperature. Do not use it while warm or hot.
- Place the almond flour, milk, salt, nutritional yeast, vinegar, and turmeric into a high speed blender and blend until completely smooth. Touch the blender jar and make sure the contents aren't really warm or hot. If they are wait until they are at room temperature again before moving onto the next step.
- Pour in the refined coconut oil and olive oil then blend again until completely emulsified. It's important not to let the contents of the blender get warm/hot so blend in short bursts and give it a break for a minute or two in between if you can feel it getting warm.
- Pour the liquid butter into a container, cover and refrigerate until set.
- Let the butter soften at room temperature for a few minutes before spreading for ultimate creaminess and ease of spreading.
NOTES
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NUTRITION
This recipe was originally published on March 15th 2015. I've added new photographs & some new content and now I am republishing it for you. The actual recipe remains the same. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for following A Virtual Vegan!
Jane says
Mel - ignore my question. Just found out the pourable is ALSO unrefined. Can't get refined anywhere!!! :(((
Melanie McDonald says
The liquid one is probably MCT or fractionated coconut oil. It won't set and is no good for this recipe. It has to be regular unrefined coconut oil. I can't help with where to buy it in Australia. Here all stores sell refined coconut oil. Perhaps look online to see if you can order some.
I do know that Nuttelex is a common vegan butter in Australia. Hope you manage to find one or the other!
Jane says
Quick question Mel! The refined coconut oil in the local shop is liquid on the (quite cold - over air conditioned!) store shelf. My regular unrefined is always solid, unless it get pretty warm in the house. So will the (liquid at cool room temps) refined oil be ok? Or do you think they have done something to the refined to make it "pourable"? I need to make this recipe urgently because I just discovered nowhere sells vegan butter in this bit of Australia and I'm making the Earl Grey cake for my daughter's 21st! All help appreciated :)
Barb says
Jane,
You can get the solid-ish refined (tasteless) coconut oil at Chemist Warehouse (and you can purchase online and have it delivered from them). I know it's too late for your daughter's birthday but hopefully this helps for the future.
Am says
I realize you say ‘no changes’ Unfortunately I cannot have vinegars (all) therefore lemon if you agree and absolutely no nutritional yeast, now I’m stuck? Help😳
I will try it with something, I’m very game!
Melanie McDonald says
You could make it and omit those ingredients but obviously it won't taste at it's best. The nutritional yeast in particular is important for the buttery flavour. Lemon juice might work to replace the acidity of the vinegar but there's a chance you might taste a tiny hint of it. I've never tried it so can't say for sure. There is no possible replacement for the nutritional yeast. It's such a unique ingredient. Hope it works out ok for you!
Lucy says
This has been a real life changer for me for the last couple of years, it's enabled me to give up not only dairy butter but also over-packaged, often palm-oil filled bought stuff. I've got hand-written simplified recipe instructions in my own notebook, I always enjoy making it, and find that the quantities provide enough for a Bonne Maman jam jar that I keep in the fridge and a ramekin that I freeze, so when I get onto the ramekin I know I'll need to make some more soon!
Reading it again, mind, and the comments, I wonder if I've been using the right almond flour? I use fine ground white almonds, not the rougher stuff with the brown bits in, but blitzed up for a few moments with the plant milk it seems to be fine. I'm not even sure I can get the almond flour here in France anyway.
BJ says
I am allergic to almonds. I know it will change the flavor, but can you recommend an alternative flour please? What would be the next best thing? Thanks so much.
Melanie McDonald says
Copied from the FAQ's:
I am allergic to almonds. Is there something I can use instead?
I have a few readers who use ground up cashew nuts, sunflower seeds or pine nuts instead of almonds. Almonds give a more buttery flavour but the results are still ok when using these substitutes.
Lisa says
This is amazing! Thanks for sharing. May I ask how much saturated fat is there in this recipe? I see the 3.2g of fat, but I would imagine total amount would be much more if using coconut and olive oil.
Melanie McDonald says
The nutritional information is per serving not for the total amount. It's computer-generated and meant as a guide only.
Grace says
Hi,
Can this butter be used to make buttercream frosting?
Melanie McDonald says
Yes.
maria says
Such a great recipe. I make it all the time and keep it in the freezer. So much convenient, tastier and cheaper than buying it. Thanks!
Suzanne says
Absolutely beautiful taste and texture! What a find! Gorgeous. I'll be making this regularly and freezing some for emergencies. Made the mistake of buying almond flour which was actually almond meal, so waited until I had the very fine almond flour before making it and am very glad i did. It is perfect. Thank you for the recipe!
Clare says
I'm impressed! When I read all the comments & high ratings about it tasting as good as real butter, I was hopeful, but still skeptical.... however I proved it to myself today. It came out perfectly first go! Follow the well-detailed directions and you can't go wrong. Thanks Melanie, you're ace!
Melanie McDonald says
Thank you Clare, I'm so pleased you're enjoying it!
Emma P says
Hi Clare - where did you find your super fine almond flour?
Celine says
I just discovered this recipe. I'm very excited to try it! I am a little worried if it will turn out good though, as I don't own a blender, only a food processor and an immersion blender
Melanie McDonald says
Sorry Celine, but it won't turn out well in a food processor. I don't think it would emulsify properly and would end up feeling a little grainy. I'd hate you to waste the ingredients trying.
Maybe an immersion blender would work better? I've never tried it though. If you do and it works out well let us know because it might help someone else who is wondering too. Good luck!
Carolee says
Hey Celine! In a previous rating, someone used a Cuisinart food processor and said to First: Pulse the dry ingredients together, then Slowly add the wet ingredients...
John says
Great tasting easy to make and very stable. I enjoy the nice hint of sweetness, thank you for the recipe. Now the only problem I have is making it fast enough for the omnivores in my home.
Shivangni says
I live in India where the temperatures are really high. 45-50C (122F)
The Butter sets really well in the fridge, but once out, it comes back to its melted form.
Any additives or stabilisers to make it stable?
Jaimie says
I did not read the instructions carefully and did not cool the coconut oil fully before using. It made a disgusting mess and wasted a half jar of coconut oil. I did not find a way to salvage it after the oil split, so I hope others will read more carefully before trying.
Michelle says
Is there anything I can substitute for the coconut oil? I have many food sensitivities and coconut is one of them. Thanks!
Melanie McDonald says
No sorry. The recipe won't work without it.
Rebecca says
I've been using this for several years. I freeze 1/2 in an ice cube tray for later since I don't use it all. It's the best vegan butter recipe out there!